Church or cult? Abe murder spotlights Unification Church and other South Korean ‘pseudo-religious’ groups
- Groups known as ‘fringe churches’ have long been of concern to people with family members involved – now they have been thrust into the spotlight
- In 2020, the Shincheonji church was blamed for South Korea’s first major Covid outbreak when members gathered in hundreds despite government advice
Those organisations are called “fringe churches” because it is thought they “systematically and deliberately force religious gaslighting” on followers, according to Tark Ji-il, a professor at Busan Presbyterian University and a critical researcher of fringe churches.
He is surprised at the attention the incident has brought to the church. “There were always concerns about people who had family members involved in fringe churches, but I would’ve never guessed that the problem would become this publicised,” Tark said.
Tetsuya Yamagami, the gunman arrested for shooting Abe, held a grudge against the Unification Church which he believed was responsible for his mother’s bankruptcy. She has apologised for her son’s actions but said she remains a committed member of the organisation.
The founder of the Unification Church, Moon Sun-myung, called himself a Messiah and claimed to have met Jesus in 1935. Members believe their leader was “called” to complete the salvation of mankind. Moon died in 2012 of pneumonia and organ failure.
